Staphylectomy in a West Highland White Terrier dog: Case report

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to report on the case of a male West Highland White Terrier, approximately seven years of age showing signs of dysphagia, exercise intolerance, choking and overall breathing difficulties. The clinical signs mentioned above were firstly noticed five years ago and the dog was diagnosed with a prolonged soft palate. Complementary imaging exams such as thoracic radiographs and a computerized tomography of the cranial and cervical areas were made. The tomography showed soft palate hypertrophy and cervical lymphatic adenomegaly. The brachycephalic syndrome is, among other symptoms, also composed by a prolonged soft palate. This syndrome, although mostly common in brachycephalic breeds, can occur in every breed there is. Taking the results of the subject in question into consideration, the need of surgical correction for its prolonged soft palate was shown necessary. The most effective surgical method to treat this particular anomaly is a partial resection of the soft palate. Blood exams and a cardiologic evaluation were required as pre-operative exams. The surgical procedure is called Staphilectomy, in which the correction of the prolonged soft palate is made, in this case, with an ultrasonic scalpel. This specific scalpel is not commonly used although its use can reduce surgical time and improve the immediate post-surgical wellbeing of the animal significantly. The owners of the subject reported significant improvement in the clinical signs as immediate as 24 hours post surgery. The protocol used in this particular case were antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relief, gastric protection, anti-varicose ointment and liquid feeds, one of which was served cold each day to reduce swelling. The conclusion made after taking everything into consideration is that Staphilectomy surgeries are still not common but extremely relevant to patients such as the subject of this paper since its symptoms were extinguished after the procedure and it has now a better quality of life.